Notices

IMPORTANT: This is a three credit class. Due to the condensed summer schedule the seminar meets for 2 hours and 50 minutes each week PLUS students meet with faculty in small groups for an extra half hour every week. The time/place of this extra meeting is determined by the professor.
REGISTRATION: There are two parts to registering for an externship: 1) Register on-line for the seminar as you would for any class. 2) Register for the field placement by going to the Externship Page www.wcl.american.edu/externship and submit a Request for Approval, which generates the necessary forms.

Description

This is a three-credit graded course. It is taken concurrently with a field placement in a non-profit or governmental organization, or a private law firm doing pro-bono work.
In this course, we will explore the meaning of being a lawyer and a member of the legal profession. We will think about the variety of roles that lawyers may have and the wide range of practice experiences available to persons with law degrees. The goal of the course is to broaden your understanding of what it means to be a lawyer and increase your understanding of the possibilities given your career goals and values. I hope to accomplish this goal by our reading and discussing the lives of lawyers in a variety of settings. We will focus on the issues raised in your field placement including ethical and interaction issues with clients, lawyers, supervisors, the courts and administrative agencies or legislative bodies. There will also be seasoned guest speakers to share their legal experiences. There will be a diversity of field placements and we will learn from each other’s experiences which should help you develop a better understanding about what type of lawyer you want to become.

Textbooks and Other Materials

The textbook information on this page was provided by the instructor. Students should use this information when considering purchases from the AU Campus Store or other vendors. Students may check here to determine if books are currently available for purchase online.

The required text is J.P Ogilvy et.al., Learning from Practice: A Professional
Development Text for Legal Externs, 2nd Ed. (West, 2008).